The story
On the fifth floor of the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj, Cap Aureo’s glass terrace frames a spectacular vista of the marina and the old town. Here, the restaurant’s Michelin star signals high-quality cooking, but the experience is shaped by a deeper connection to the region. The menu, crafted by chef Jeffrey Vella, is built on seasonality, locality, and a love for Istria.
Vella’s approach is direct: seduce the senses and pamper the palate. Guests choose from three carefully composed tasting journeys. “My Istria” explores the freshest local produce sourced within 50 kilometres. “A Journey Since 2019” revisits the restaurant’s most celebrated dishes since opening. “Towards a Greener Thought” is a vegetarian menu inspired by the flavours of the season. Each menu is served to the entire table, so the journey is shared.
Dishes change with the market, but the mark of Vella’s cooking is clear. In “My Istria”, you might find scallop and crab kept and fried in chicken fat, or monkfish aged in salted pine and barbecued. The “Journey Since 2019” includes a cauliflower simmered with local aged Urbanic cheese, and suckling pig presented as a French salad cream with ravioli. The vegetarian “Greener Thought” offers salt-baked celeriac with chewy gnocchi, and a classic risotto with carrots.
Every meal ends with a finale from a pastry chef recognized among the finest in the world. The sommeliers curate wine pairings to complement each course, and a non-alcoholic pairing is also available. The Mediterranean cuisine at Cap Aureo is not just about the plate—it’s about the stories of the sea and coast in every glass, and the art of Istria on your plate.
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